1 Peter 4:1-6

4 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. 2 As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. 3 For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. 4 They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you. 5 But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.

• Abstain from sin. verse 2: “You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God.”

Here’s your choice, you can live for your lusts or you can live for the Lord. The contrast is clear, we will either live for the will of God or for the world. Salvation should show in the way that we grow, Christ-followers don’t do what they used to do. Look at the phrase, “rest of your lives” it speaks to the brevity of life. This is a reminder of how short life is, and how we can live a worthy life or a wasted life. We’re not to just count our days but to make our days count. This is a call to live for the Lord now not later, don’t wait to walk out God’s Will and waste your life. Have you noticed that when you were a kid time loitered and took forever but the older we get the more time seems to speed up. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like life is fleeting but because it is we need to keep three perspectives in mind when abstaining from sin – the past, present and future.

1. Keep the past in the PAST – vs 3

Verse 3 points out that we have wasted plenty of time sinning in the past. Peter’s point is that you don’t have to drag your past putrid life into the present and perpetuate the problem. This is a call to close the chapter on the past and pursue purity in the present. Some of you are ruining your life because you are being ruled by regret. Repent of your past and pursue Jesus in your present, stop being a prisoner to your past. Others are on the other side of the pendulum, you want to have a little more “fun” before you get serious in our faith, because you see sin as a good time God and the bible as boring. Deal with your disobedience don’t dwell there. Next Peter gives us a lists of six specific sins which I am not going to go into detail with suffice it to say that it sounds like our modern day Mardi Gras also known as Fat Tuesday whose original purpose was to prepare people for Lent, a period of 46 days of fasting, confession and contemplation. The sad reality of Mardi Gras is that it has because a time to live out one’s lusts before Lent begins. But feast before a fast doesn’t work. What you participate in today you will pay for tomorrow.

2. Stay pure in the PRESENT Vs 4

There will always be pressure to pursuing a pure life. When you get saved and stop sinning in these ways, others are not going to be very happy. Look at verse 4: “Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you” Peer pressure can be a powerful pressure, but we are called to please the Father not our friends. People who pressure you into pursuing sin are not your friends, real friends push you to pursue purity not to party. Are you friends call you to conform to sin or the Savior? It says former friends, do you have any unhealthy friendships you need to walk away from? When the relationship is built on rebellious living it will always result in pain and problems. These problematic relationships of the past were based on behavior not belief. What about you are you building relationships based on belief or behavior? When you draw a line for the Lord people will either stand with you or strike out against you. Lastly if we want to persevere we must keep a future perspective in mind.

3. Focus on the FUTURE – Vs 5-6

Peter reminds us of our purpose which is to Proclaim God’s plan of peace. When we share the story of Salvation we engage in eternity only 2 things will last, Scripture and souls so where are you spending your time. Our job is to go with the gospel to people who are still living so that when they die they will go to heaven and not hell. Christ is coming back and Jesus will judge every human being who has ever lived. 

Conclusion

Showing the story means submitting to sanctification, the problem is that many of us are submitting to sin instead of sanctification. So let me ask you is the way that you are living your life an advertisement for sin or for the Savior?